Freedom and Frogs
by AmiBloo
Summary: "Hey," she looked at him, eyes bright, "Do you want to help me let them go?" He looked at her, baffled. "The frogs? Why?" "They belong in the wild. I only keep them for a little while to keep me company. Every year I catch new ones in the spring and let them go in the summer. They deserve to be free." "Like me," he said with a grin.


The afternoon seemed to be the very definition of summer. Muggy air flooded Eruka's lungs and melted them. She lay on her bed, sweltering and trying desperately not to move and inspire any more heat into her blood and bones. She could feel the sweat sticking to her back. It seeped through her shirt and to a degree she was grateful because it was cooling.

A door slammed, and though she knew it was in her house, the world was distant to Eruka with her closed eyes. It was not real. Voices reverberated through the walls and with all her effort and a furrowed brow she turned their words into simple noise. They were mere bugs buzzing around her head. She knew, though. She knew that it was her sister, Medusa and not her mom though she desperately wished it was. She also knew that the second, deeper, more masculine voice was that of her sister's boyfriend. Honestly, the guy was pretty dumb. It was obvious Medusa was using him. Eruka wanted to think he knew that, too. But that wouldn't make sense really.

Another door slam and the house was quiet. Somehow it felt hotter in the silence. Eruka squirmed. The stuffy air that she'd probably been breathing all afternoon made its way back into her system and back out. She really wished that she could get her window open, but it was an old house with windows that were practically nailed in place. Her mom was always too tired when she got home and it seemed like such a stupid thing to bother her with anyway. And there was no way would she ask her sister.

He knocked softly on her door. She knew it was him because Medusa never knocked. It still startled her, and she jolted up, eyes wide and hands frantically trying to wipe off the sweat on her face, her arm pits, her neck. It was a futile battle.

"Who is it?" was a stupid thing to say but she said it anyway.

"It's just me."

"Come on in."

The door opened and she looked on, feeling nervous. Should she be doing something? Holding the door open for him, asking him if he needed something? And oh shit what was his name again? Jesus, she knew what it was, but she just couldn't remember right now. Was it Frank? Fred? Fear? It was something goofy or weird like that but she couldn't put her finger on it. He looked awkward in her room with his broad shoulders and rough face and tattoos. And gosh he was so tall, it made her room look tiny.

His attention was suddenly on the things on her bookshelf next to the door. "Whoa," He leaned in and peered into a 10-gallon tank. "Are these things real?"

Eruka got off her bed to stand next to him. "Well, yeah. They're moving, see?"

They really weren't anything to be so excited about, she thought. Just a couple of old toads and frogs she'd caught. She usually let all of them go mid-summer. Pretty soon actually. The tank was actually more special than the actual animals. Her mom had gotten it for her birthday a few years back. It originally had fish but those had died and they never got new ones. Most of the rocks in there had originally been for the fish too.

His silence made her nervous. She felt obligated to keep talking. "I like frogs. I mean, more than snakes. Medusa has snakes, have you seen them?"

He looked at her and nodded. "She showed me them once. Does she still have the poisonous one?"

"Yeah, she does. I don't like snakes. One time I found one of my frogs missing. I think she fed it to one of her snakes." She didn't mention that it was her favorite frog, or that it went missing the day before she was going to let it go. "She put one in my bed once, too."

"The poisonous one?"

"No no, one of the small white ones. She said it looked like me."

"What'd you do with it?"

"I was a little scared to go near it, but I ended up letting it loose outside. One of us should be able to get away from her, right?" She felt her stomach tense and she realized this was her sister's boyfriend she was badmouthing Medusa to. "I shouldn't have said that. I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine. I get it," He paused. "She probably didn't treat it well. She can be cruel."

Eruka felt her face heat up and her stomach clench even more. She took a deep breath and let it out quietly enough to not draw attention. In a way, she felt a slight camaraderie with this guy. They had both experienced the wrath of Medusa. An idea sparked in her mind.

"Hey," she looked at him, eyes bright, "Do you want to help me let them go?"

He looked at her, baffled. "The frogs? Why?"

"They belong in the wild. I only keep them for a little while to keep me company. Every year I catch new ones in the spring and let them go in the summer. They deserve to be free."

"Like me," he said with a grin.

It was her turn to be confused, but she quickly remembered that she had forgotten his name and she shyly shared his grin. Free. Like him.

Usually she took each frog out individually and carefully, but with Free there, Eruka realized it would be possible to release all of them at once. He helped her with carrying the tank out. It seemed that his burly build wasn't just for show. She had to remind him to be gentle and careful with it, though. He was such a klutz she was afraid that he would trip and drop it. The tank made it out safely, though. The sun blazed and Eruka felt sweat welling from her pores to coat her face. She didn't try to wipe it away this time, her shame long abandoned.

"Yeah, now tip it. Yeah, just like that, nice and easy," She guided with her voice, gently helping him.

The rocks and foliage in the tank slid and clanked, which provided enough of a startle for the frogs which leapt out. Next to him she sat, even when all the amphibians had all abandoned the shelter. It was the ever imposing sun that drove them back inside. Again she felt inadequate, unsure whether she should be speaking or what. The front door slammed and Eruka's sense of peace was rattled. Medusa walked in her room.

"There you are."

Free turned and met Medusa's eyes.

"Come on."

He left.

Eruka almost wished that Medusa would have acknowledged her. Smile or scowled or something. Or better, ask the questions Eruka was currently feeling the need to explain. We were just letting the frogs go, she wanted to say. But her sister didn't seem to care. Eruka didn't feel overly upset about it, though.

But mostly, Eruka wished that Free had made eye contact with her after Medusa had arrived. Something to verify that their whole interaction wasn't just something stupid that happened out of impulse or boredom. Something that signified that it was real. When he didn't, she lay back on her bed and let the emptiness consume her, organ by organ. And when he and Medusa left the house together, she felt like nothing more than a ten gallon. Empty and alone and sweltering again.


End file.
